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  A PIRATE'S PLEASURE

  Tiffany St.Claire

  Did she have the courage to offer him her body

  – before the vows were spoken?

  This is a work of fiction.

  None of it is real. All names, places, and events are products of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real names, places, or events are purely coincidental, and should not be construed as being real.

  A PIRATE'S PLEASURE

  Copyright © 2012

  Brittany Adams and Tina Adams

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner, except as allowable under “fair use,” without the express written permission of the author.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  About the Author

  Get MORE Tiffany

  Chapter One

  Reigyn Meauchamp paused in the act of adjusting the hood of her cloak, a feeling of trepidation creeping through her at what she was about to do. Her fingers trembled slightly upon the dark cloth and she drew in a shaky breath, releasing it on a soft exhale.

  She could do this. She had to. It was her last chance.

  Her father had given her an ultimatum earlier in the week that she could not ignore. He would allow her one week to win over the man of her choosing or marry a man he thought suitable.

  Not one to squander opportunities or waste time, Reigyn had set about charming her would-be suitor at the earliest convenience. It was not her fault the dratted lout hadn't the good sense to fall in love with her on the spot and had kindly ignored her attentions and intentions with all the politeness of a gently bred nobleman. Really, he could have saved himself days and hours of trouble if he'd just responded to her meaningful looks and sincere smiles.

  But, as it were, he did not, and so he would have to suffer the consequences of being a bloody blockhead and not asking for her hand in marriage.

  Reigyn did not believe love could be found in a week's time, but if she could not have a marriage based on love, then by golly she would have one based on familiarity, and Adrian Winter was nothing to her if not familiar. Their families had known one another for years, dating back generations.

  She had grown up with Adrian and his brother, Vane, and had rather detested the two until she had matured and the brother's had come back from Eton one year, completely changed from how she had remembered them. Adrian especially. It was as though he had miraculously transformed overnight from some form of uncoordinated, gangling youth, into the sinewy prince of her childish fairy tales.

  Of course, she had fawned over him that entire summer he'd been home, much to his consternation, she was sure, but as time passed, so did her girlish infatuation and her interests turned to others.

  She was quite pretty, if she did say so herself, though hers was not the beauty currently in fashion. Still, this did not deter interested looks from titled lords at all, and yet, not a one had put forth any effort into claiming her as their own, leaving her to take matters into her own hands after her father's decree.

  Thus, here she was, about to inflict harm on the only person left to save her from marriage to a crotchety old man, or worse, a sniveling brat whose only interest in life was the perfectly tied cravat.

  Damn and blast Perrin for putting the idea into her head in the first place. If he hadn't suggested kidnapping Adrian and holding him hostage somewhere, then Reigyn would not be but moments away from accosting a lord of the realm and holding him against his will.

  Taking in a deep breath and releasing it on a slow exhale, Reigyn straightened from where she was crouched behind a grouping of bushes and tucked her cloak away before making her way up the front steps of Adrian's London townhouse and letting herself inside without so much as a sound to give her away.

  It helped that she knew where he kept a spare key and that his door never creaked.

  After making sure there were no servants about to raise an alarm, she crept across carpets and up the stairs, constantly breathing a litany of prayer that neither the stairs nor a floorboard creaked and gave her away.

  Reaching what she hoped was Adrian's bedchamber door, she knelt and plucked a hairpin from her tightly bound tresses and began making short work of the lock. Hearing the tumblers fall, she released the breath she hadn't been aware of holding until then, and straightened, closing her fingers around the knob tightly.

  She squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, then turned it quickly before she changed her mind. The heavy door swung inward with nary a sound and Reigyn hurried inside, closing it just as quietly before swiftly crossing the room to his bed, her path lit by the silver glow of the moon sifting through the airy curtains at the windows.

  It was here that she faltered, for she was not certain how exactly to initiate the rest of her plan. Especially since she hadn't expected to be greeted by the sight of him naked from the waist up. (She didn't want to think about the rest of him that lay hidden from view beneath the covers.)

  He was rather fetching like this, she thought, with his hair mussed and out of place, and his usual cheeky smirk nowhere to be seen. Of course, Reigyn had been too busy worrying about whether or not she would be able to convince him that marriage to her was what he'd always wanted and he just didn't know it yet to take the time to really appreciate what a splendid specimen he was.

  But now that she was here, seeing him like this, she thought she could begin to understand why he had legions of women vying for his attention all over the country, and possibly others as well.

  She reached out to – to do something, most likely a drastic something, like sift her fingers through his hair, or trace along the creases between the muscles of his abdomen – but her exploration was halted prematurely as her hand was held captive at the wrist by a rather strong set of fingers.

  Gasping, Reigyn's gaze flashed to Adrian's face to find him not in gentle repose as she'd assumed, but looking at her rather smugly.

  He sat up, fingers still curled firmly around her wrist, and his full lips spread in a self-satisfied grin. “Hello, Reigyn darling. I was wondering when you'd show up.”

  “You were expecting me?” Her brow furrowed in consternation. How could he have known about her plan to kidnap him? Unless...

  “Perrin.”

  Chapter Two

  The name echoed in Adrian's bedchamber, his iteration smooth and warm, like melted chocolate while hers was filled with animosity and accusation.

  Adrian watched her eyes narrow in the dim light, barely suppressing a chuckle over her fury at having her plan thwarted. What had she intended, anyway, he couldn't help but wonder. A female, alone – how was she to get him from his apartments and into whatever situation she'd thought up? Surely she understood her attempt would prove to be futile?

  She drew up to her full height, trailing a dark cloth between her fingers. “I should have known better than to trust Perrin with something as important as this,” she said.

  Adrian couldn't help it, he chuckled anyway. “Kidnapping a peer of the realm is serious business, Reigyn. Surely you did not seriously think to succeed?”

  Her eyes were suddenly more bright, lit by the cunningly evil sparkle at their center, and her lips curled upward. “Of course I did not presume to succeed, Adrian. I made certain of it. Grayson, your assistance, if you please?”

  A great, hulking form emerged from the shadows near the window of his bedchamber, far too quickly for Adrian to assimilate what had happened, though he did realize he had just lost the upper hand in Reigyn's foolish little stunt to save herself.

  He had not even had time to put
up a hand in his own defense, to fight for his freedom once that deep voice in the darkness had said, “Your pardon, my lord.”

  The last thing he remembered was the tiny square of fabric being pressed to his face, covering his mouth and nose … and Reigyn's wide grin of supremacy as he hastily murmured, “Why, you little termag...”

  Hours later, he woke with a gag in his mouth, his limbs bound at both wrists and ankles, and to add insult to injury, the wily little minx had even made sure he was tightly secured to the bunk, as well.

  The rolling movement he felt convinced him she'd had him put aboard a ship. Did she even know what kind of ship she'd put him on? The cold finger of fear chased its way across his insides before he pushed it hastily aside. He hadn't landed on a ship bound for some foreign country where he'd be pressed into slavery or worse – this cabin bespoke wealth, which told him the ship he'd been placed on obviously belonged to a wealthy merchant. His dilemma was to figure out which merchant – wealthy or otherwise – she'd managed to cajole into helping her kidnap him.

  There was a scratching at the cabin door, the sound of a key being inserted and then turned in the lock. Not knowing who or what to expect, Adrian lay still, eyes closed, and pretended to be unconscious.

  “Ah, so you are awake. Finally. I was beginning to fear Grayson had quite overdone whatever liquid he poured onto that cloth he held over your nose.”

  Reigyn.

  His eyes snapped open and he turned his head, intending to glare his fury at her until she became uncomfortable with the angry heat of his gaze and freed him. What he saw, however, stunned the anger right out of him and filled him with a different kind of madness instead.

  Her glorious chestnut tresses had been piled atop her head, much like they would have been arranged for a ball, or an outing to the theater or a drive in Hyde Park. Except some of her curls had escaped and were wind-blown, falling around her face and across her shoulders in wild disarray.

  Her near bare shoulders. That was where her resemblance to a gently-born and reared young maiden ended. What lay beneath her chin transformed her into less than a respectable miss, and much more the mischievous hoyden – she looked, he thought, as wild and untamed as her hair.

  The white lawn shirt she wore fit her well, just as it must have fit the male for whom it was intended. The fall of ruffles at the wrist and around the neckline matched those worn by many of his own male acquaintances, but where a bit of tanned chest might have been acceptable for a male shipmate, the exposure of far too much of Reigyn's delectable cleavage was enough to send a sane man over the edge of sanity. On him, the effect was much, much worse.

  He could feel his reaction to her deep in his gut, and lower, and with such intensity he would have squirmed in embarrassment at the public display of his need had they been in public. Trapped here as they were, he could only twist his lower body to the side to hide his growing arousal from her laughingly curious gaze.

  Her flowing shirt had been tucked neatly into a pair of black men's breeches which fit so snug against her hips and thighs, he groaned just looking at her. Those had been tucked into the tops of a pair of high leather boots, and … he squinted.

  Was that a dagger strapped to her calf? It was. Bloody hell. His gaze moved back up to her tiny waist, elegantly defined by her present attire, and almost choked to find a silver and ebony-hilted saber belted low across her hips. Heaven help him if she possessed an inkling of a clue how to use that thing, he thought.

  Finally, he closed his eyes to blot out the image of the seductive siren before him, only to find it imprinted upon his eyelids. He groaned, but didn't dare open them again.

  Her hands touched his where his wrists had been bound together, and he flinched.

  “I'm going to untie you now, Adrian, but unless you are an extremely good swimmer, you should know escape is out of the question,” she warned.

  As good as her word, she untied his hands and feet, though she did not release the bonds there which restrained him in the bunk. His eyes followed her fingers upward when she reached forward to undo his gag.

  The warm scent of her surrounded him, heating his already over-warmed blood another several degrees. Maybe it would be best, for the both of them, if she left the gag in place, he thought, because right now his head was filled with ….

  “You're quite heavy when you are unconscious, did you know that, Adrian? Grayson and I had a devil of a time getting you into the carriage and then onto the Merry Anne,” she said, her fingers busy with the strip of rough cloth tied behind his head.

  “Well, excuse me, Captain Black Britches, for not making your crime a bit easier by weighing less,” he grouched the moment the gag was pulled free.

  Reigyn chuckled softly, the sound warm and like silk spilling over his body. She sat beside him, close enough he could feel the heat radiating from her and he clenched his teeth, fighting back a groan.

  She leaned forward then, her shirt gaping a bit, but not enough to satisfy his damnable curiosity, and placed her finger against his lips, which Adrian had a devil of a time resisting the urge to take within his mouth and giving a good hard bite to in retaliation for all she had done to him thus far.

  “Do be quiet, Adrian, otherwise you'll attract unwanted attention, and I can't imagine you'd want the others to see you bound and at the mercy of a lady, so keep it down won't you?”

  Adrian groaned low and deep and let his head fall back against the bedding, instinctively knowing things could only get worse from here, and that they probably would because Reigyn was notorious for getting exactly what she wanted by whatever means necessary.

  “I'm going now, but I'll return shortly with food and drink. We've much to discuss, you and I.”

  And then she was gone, leaving Adrian secured to the bunk with no means of escape. Or so she thought. The cheeky little sprite thought she had the upper hand, but had obviously forgotten whom she'd kidnapped. Having Vane as an older brother had taught Adrian a thing or two about getting out of impossible situations.

  Chuckling to himself as he carefully worked at his bindings, Adrian couldn't help but imagine the look on Reigyn's face when she came back inside the cabin and found he'd escaped his restraints.

  Then the real fun would begin.

  Chapter Three

  The bunk was empty.

  Reigyn felt her heart leap to her throat even as a surge of irritation washed over her.

  “Adrian Winters! Where did you go? And how did you get free? I tied those knots quite expertly.”

  “Not expertly enough, I'm afraid.”

  Reigyn whipped her head around in the direction of the desk to find Adrian reclining easily in the leather chair with his feet propped on the desk's corner. He gave her a slow, cheeky grin.

  “Did you forget who my brother is, darling? Those bonds would have had to be sewn into my flesh before any hope of my getting free was impossible. Now, tell me,” he said, getting up from the chair and coming 'round the desk towards her. “What is it you wished to discuss?”

  Reigyn looked up at him mulishly. Her lips twisted with displeasure. “My father has decreed I shall be betrothed by the end of the week.”

  “Oh, that's wonderful,” Adrian replied cheerily, hazel eyes twinkling mischievously.

  Reigyn scowled. “No, it is not wonderful, you buffoon. I have three days left to convince a rather thick-headed someone to be my betrothed or my father will choose one for me.”

  “Well, that shouldn't be too hard for your father. The world is filled with thick-headed someone's, so he shouldn't have to look far.”

  Reigyn fought against the grin that tugged at the corners of her mouth. She would not be swayed by his humorous attempts. Pulling in a steadying breath, she said, “Be that as it may, I have one particular person in mind. Someone I've known a very long time and I've been trying to--”

  “It's Estcott, isn't it?”

  Reigyn paused, blinked, then scowled. “No. Of course it's not Perrin. I was talking about-
-”

  “Langleah, then?”

  Reigyn only managed to breathe in once before Adrian continued, cutting off her explanation yet again.

  “Or is it Arwood? No, no,” he said, waving his hand dismissively. “He's a bit of a grump. You two wouldn't suit at all.”

  “Leighton's not a grump.”

  “So that leaves Hurste, then,” Adrian finished, ignoring her completely.

  “No!” Reigyn fairly shouted, balling her hands into fists at her sides to keep from reaching out and strangling Adrian because she knew he was trying her patience on purpose. “It's none of them! I am not interested in spending the rest of my life wedded to anyone you just named.”

  Adrian frowned and crossed his arms. “Well, why not? They're perfectly suitable for the job.”

  “It's you, you lout! I want to marry you!”

  “Of course you do, darling,” he said with a chuckle. “Half the marriage-minded ladies of the ton wish it as well.”

  Reigyn wanted to shake him, but settled for giving him a hard stare.

  Adrian's brow lifted as he realized she wasn't joking. “Oh, come now, Reigyn, you cannot be serious.”

  “I'm quite serious, Adrian,” she said unflinchingly. “Although at the moment, I must admit I have no clue as to why.”

  Adrian was silent for a moment, his gaze boring into hers, but then he smiled, and said, “I take it that's what all this kidnapping business has been about?”

  Reigyn felt her cheeks heat with a blush and she nodded. “I'm afraid so, yes.”

  He chuckled and shook his head at her. “You never fail to astound me, Reigyn, I'll give you that, but I cannot marry you.”

  “Why ever not?” she practically yelled, her patience reaching its limits. “Is there something wrong with the way I look, or the way I speak or carry myself? I have been trying for days to win you over, Adrian, and in all that time, all you've done is smile at me and push me towards someone else. Well, I do not want anyone else!